Diabetes also known as the silent killer because of the silent and sneaky way in which the disease progresses. Your blood sugar levels increase gradually and your body slowly becomes resistant to insulin and your pancreas stops producing enough insulin to control  blood sugar. While a lot has been written about the early signs of diabetes in the form of increased urination, increased thirst, blurry vision, slow healing of wounds etc. Not too many people know that their skin too can be an indicator of chronic conditions like diabetes and needs to pay attention on it.

Diabetes being a systemic condition causes quite a few undesired changes in the physiology. These include, insulin resistance, decrease in blood flow, nerve damage and high blood sugar levels that suppress immunity levels. These changes either individually or in combination can cause a variety of problems to your skin. Dr Sejal Saheta, Dermatologist and Veneorologist CMO of InUrSkn suggested some of the skin conditions that you should look out for.

Recurrent Skin Infections: The suppressed immunity because of diabetes can lead to repeated bacterial, parasitic, fungal or viral infections. Some such common infections are Folliculitis (boils), styes, nail infections, jock itch, athletes foot etc.

Dry Itchy Skin all over the body: Due to poor blood circulation, itching can occur on various parts of the body; especially on lower legs.

Increased chance of wounding and slow healing of wounds: Diabetes also decreases the sensation on the skin and hence chances of skin getting cuts and bruises increases. These bruises if ignored can result in a more serious infection. Also as most of us are aware diabetes causes the wounds to heal slowly as it interferes with the immunity activation process.

If you experience any of the above conditions, it would be advisable to go see your dermatologist or family physician who may order a blood sugar test to detect or rule out diabetes and any other associated conditions.

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Published Date: July 4, 2022 5:03 PM IST

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